iPad Spirit jailbreak + Camera Connection Kit = external HDD support
By Sean Hollister 
posted May 6th 2010 11:59PM
posted May 6th 2010 11:59PM
Looks like that iPad Camera Connection Kit isn't as overpriced as we thought; not only does it have USB headset and keyboard support, but one enterprising user has hooked up an external hard drive using the dongle as well. Max Shay has an exhaustive walkthrough at his personal website, but the gist of the matter is that you'll need a jailbroken iPad, a split-USB cable to give that drive some extra juice, and a terminal of some sort (Max used his MacBook) to trick the iPad into mounting your external storage, after you use SSH to tunnel through. The result is an unwieldy wired assembly we wouldn't be caught dead with in public, but perhaps useful in a pinch -- or as the latest proof of what the iPad could do if only Apple would let it. Video after the break. 
@Atkins Well, I'd say one thing about the moving target/definition is somewhat appropriate. And the way to interpret that is that the bar is raised, I think even the haters could've in some fashion hoped for such a day.
To compare to the initial iPhone, when the iPhone launched it was a phone/PMP (with some other good functionality, but the perception). If it didn't start with the label "smartphone" it eventually got that, even if it is somewhat (not my point, nor do I care how we define smartphone). In the end, it's now all of the above and a portable gaming machine, a media steamer, etc.
The raising of the iPad's class is a good thing for both the owners and those who want to buy a different device. Just take it as a concession from us haters that we are now trying to raise the bar as to what to compare it to, it's because it's more computer like that we are now comparing it to a laptop :D. - I actually may have once said it's a giant iPod touch, but I do try to actually not classify things in this nature, the same way I don't care if someone dubs the iPhone a smartphone or not. It does what it does, it's a compelling product, etc. For simple discussion on the subject I would call the iPhone a smartphone, but again, not even really important, nor is how we classify the iPad.
@juanvaldez "The raising of the iPad's class is a good thing for both the owners and those who want to buy a different device. Just take it as a concession from us haters that we are now trying to raise the bar as to what to compare it to, it's because it's more computer like that we are now comparing it to a laptop..."
Well, you are making a valid point... again :) I have no problem with raising the bar, but some people go way too far and basically blame the iPad for not being a full-fledged computer weighing 700 grams.
Personally when defining the iPad, I look only at Apple's line - it is exactly between a MB and an ipod touch (closer to the latter) and it fits nicely. It is basically the netbook in Apple's line (note: I am not saying it's a netbook, I am trying to convey an image here).
i think the device is more of step to serious multitouch work. They start with the ipod, then the ipad, then something more serious. I see it as teaching the crowd. But I am diverging...
Btw. did you see those numbers? http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/05/06/how-the-ipad-gobbles-up-netbook-sales/
Seems like BS.
If it's actually functional, they blew it.
How does this become an article?
"or as the latest proof of what the iPad could do if only Apple would let it."
you mean... act like a netbook? lol
Wow. I have really been taking USB ports and external USB storage for granted...
All this would fit great in a kitchen cabinet, you know so you can look at recipes or watch movies while you cook!
it really piss me off that you HAVE TO jailbreak devices like the iPhone/iPad to be able to use them fully :-/
Pit
@smover
Move on with your life. Jailbreak has been around 3 years.
Sucks when you get a new gadget, you don't get all the extra hardware / software / accessories for free, eh?
Kinda like when you go to KFC, you should just have to buy something once to get an unlimited supply
@suicidebob what is a shame is the lack of common ports like a simple USB ! A video output would have been great to for business use :-(
This is what i don't like with Apple : you have to buy accessories for default functionnalities which are standard everywhere else. And they know they can do that because they are better regarding user interfaces... But it's a kind of abuse.
They choose this to get money from all these hardware add-ons, and to keep more features in the next generations (like the lack of 3G and GPS in the iPhone EDGE, the unchanged 2mpx camera in the iPhone 3G, etc).
Pit
@smover Well, sure it is for money to some extent, but if it had a USB port maybe it would've costed 530$. Also I am all for modular stuff like that - you can buy only what you need, but that's just me.
I think there is something else besides the money though - push people to use different kinds of services (online storage etc.). People tend to stay in their habits, and sometimes they need a push - remember the outcry when Apple dropped the floppy? Of course, this is just a guess, but I think it is a good one.
...and of course you always need more than 100$ of accessories...
Pit
@smover amen to that
Man I love the JB community. Another way of getting back at Apple.
@anotherworld
I think that people forget apple is a business that has one main goal.
MAKE A TON OF MONEY.
we may hate the way they handle things and lockdown their systems, but obviously they know what they are doing as they continue to show record profits.
We can hate on them all we want but the fact of the matter is the iphone was a great product for us and without apple we would be screwed. The best thing for us consumers is competition and they seem to be the ones setting the bar.
@anotherworld Other than allowing some people to pirate apps, i cant think of too many ways jailbreaking "gets back at apple"... The guy in the article still bought an iPad, camera connector, and apps to run with them :)
It's not the price, it's the existence. A USB-port should've been built in - atleast one. Apple's adapterocrazy is just so not 2010. Why should we be forced to have all these adapters with us all the time when every other super-cheap Windows-based machine has all these things built in, be it laptop, netbook och future tablet?
@evolutionofnonsens Maybe because you arent forced to buy an iPad, and if you must have a usb port you can buy something else?
@darksharpie - Yeah, that counterargument is as old as it is pointless. Besides, the article is about how an adapter substitute for something that should've been built in is worth it's bucks. Not whether the iPad ruaouelzez or not. K?
But hey, sure, if you thing there should be more adapters the you have to make sure you carry around, press "1". If you think Apple is great but really could be a lot greater if they could just bring themselves to not be just soooo greedy, press "2".
@evolutionofnonsens And your argument is brand new? ;) you're the one using words like "forced" as if someone made you buy it and then secretly screwed you over by not putting in usb ports.
And the article is about a "neat hack" someone came up with- The greed argument, well, you could come up with that for any device that doesn't do everything in the world you want... Besides, if it was "greed" in *this* case, then the camera connector would work with external hard drives out of the box, because then you would have to buy the connector to use it... But they don't provide software support for it anyway.
@darksharpie - Well, it might be old, but it can still be valid. And I can very well be forced to do something as a consequence of a choise.
And the greed doesn't have anything to do with wanting to sell an adapter or whatever. It's about withholding cheap and simple hardware implementations in order to be able do do simple iterations. And can understand why Apple does this - the development costs for the software is probably stagering, and they want the software to be perfect. Thus withholding simple hardware details enables cheap iterations were the software remains largely intact, while still providing enought insentive for a repurchase. It's a good strategy, but I just wish they could be just a little bit less hard.
But I guess you live in one of those cultures where you're either 110% onboard or face the risk of being stoned to death?
even 20 built in usb ports wouldnt stop ihaters to hate, so why should anyone listen to you, i mean seriously, your behavior is mainly irrational and undifferentiated and to argue with you guys will lead to nothing except into unending discussions.
the ipad is in fact the only (for everyone) usable tablet alike device on the market, with the best usability you can get, and it needs a dongle! heavens!
what about the usb cable? you need an extra not built in cable and a not built in usb device also. how awful! and the not built in electric cable is the worst nightmare evaaar!11
@shizzledmg - Wow, strong contribution. Try not to see the would in highly polarized dichotomies and things will just be so much more cuddly and nice.
I'm not an iHater, I'm an iAmDisappointed with Apple's endless implementation of this business strategy. Why do you think this device lacks a memory card reader, for example? Is it because (1) no one would use it anyway, or (2), because no one would buy the 64 GBytes version if you could slip in a cheap SD card? I like Apple's products, I just wish I could like them a little bit more.
Besides, if you actually can say with a straight face that you think more adapters and less things build in is a good thing, then sure... I for one like that the development of technology has brought us laptops with virtually no requirement to remember to bring a VGA-adapter to a presentation or else be screwed.
@evolutionofnonsens show me a laptop as thin as the iPad and I'll show you one that still needs a dongle/adapter to connect to a VGA projector :)
@evolutionofnonsens This is exactly how I feel about the whole thing. Its not that they couldn't - its that they refused to because it meant their top end lines would be obsolete. Only thing separating iPad iterations at the moment is storage and 3G. Instead of making one end-all be-all model they choose their old as hell business model to keep the cash flow in. While this is expected of them as a company that is for-profit, its also a slap in the face to their fanbase/consumers.
Apple purposely leaves out fundamental functionality out of their products to force people into buying the upgrade/expansion/adapter. Have you ever opened an iPad before and looked inside? Do you see how much space is left over...? You can almost fit 2 iTouches in there. This is retail space they could've used for things most people take for granted like USB Ports/SD Card Slot/VGA Ports. Instead of forcing people into buying their proprietary mediums to make use of these STANDARDS. That is a problem.
Theres is absolutely nothing innovative about this product. When I call the iPad an iTouch Jumbo its not because I'm trying to flame it for the sake of bashing it. Its because at its core - thats really all it is. To be perfectly honest though - the most limiting factor of the iPad is the operating system. Slap OS X on there or some new multi-tasking OS with touch input and that shit would be money. But then it'll still be missing the shit I mentioned above.
@darksharpie - I might have put it a bit vague, but I was reffereing to the entire Apple product line, not just the iPad. VGA-adapter for the iPad is ok with me.
But sure, the Sony Vaio's slimmest member perhaps? And it can do soooo much more (and is sooo much more expensive, but price was not an object).
But seriously, what reason can there really be for omitting a webcam, a USB-port and an SD-port? The iPad has plenty of space and those things doesn't cost much.
@Kuro01 Im pretty sure every company that makes computer-like devices leaves out features in their cheap devices that they include in their more expensive ones... Maybe the tradeoffs apple makes aren't the ones you personally agree to, but ive had netbooks with usb ports and an sd card slot but they lacked 802.11n, an IPS display, and a non-crappy user experience (in my opinion)... Why couldn't they include all of those things that their higher end laptops had?
@evolutionofnonsens That much I can agree with, the dongle thing is a little out of hand. Though, neither dongle is bigger than a CF card, it's just weak to have to carry them.
@Kuro01 I don't know what internals of an iPad you're looking at but the one I see is packed full. If you put a VGA or USB connection on the side of an iPad, which I just checked out, both connections are larger than the thickness of the iPad...so I guess there's your answer.
The new Multitasking OS you speak of is coming in the fall.
i am hoping for a external webcam to run off the adapter.
also this would work great if it can be ported to the ipod.
i would love to dump my pictures on it
someone plug a webcam in there...or at least a USB powered drink cooler
too awesome! just the headline is so amazing!
but is it really usefull or can do the job?
well, speak of spirit jailbreak ipad, this you'll be interested in reading
"How to Jailbreak iPad with Spirit on Mac"
http://www.ifunia.com/ipad-column/howto-jailbreak-ipad-with-spirit-on-mac.html
for info, you don't need to go trough all those mount stuff
just plug in your usb key, use IFile and browse to /var/mnt
and here is your usb key :)
How convenient. I only need to go through 20 steps to copy over a simple file that I won't be able to use on the media players anyhow.
For the people whining "they should have included this feature from the beginning!", two points:
1) The iPad isn't a laptop.. The point of it is to do a few specific features really well, and that's it. If the iPad doesn't have the features you want, DON'T BUY IT. Buy a netbook instead. Simple.
2) The iPad is crippled intentionally so as not to cannibalize Mac sales. Now that apple knows the iPad is hot and the momentum can be sustained, I imagine there will be more of a shift towards iPad/iPhone meaning the iPad will get more features.